UC-NRLF 


72    775 


GIFT   OF 


Department  of  Education 

Syracuse,  N.  Y. 


A  Summary  of  the  Report  by  the  New  York 
Bureau  of  Municipal  Research  to  the  Syracuse  Asso- 
ciated Charities. 

Horace  L.  Brittain,  Ph.  D.,  Investigator. 


"The  public  school  is  just  as  potent  for  civic  mis- 
education  as  for  civic  education;  an  unclean  school  at- 
mosphere is  not  only  a  non-conductor  of  clean  air  pre- 
cept, but  an  active  conductor  of  disease  and  enervation. 
No  system  of  moral  instruction  in  the  schools  can  ever 
offset  the  anti-moral  conduct  of  those  schools  which 
neglect  the  health  of  school  children  and  school  teach- 
ers, waste  teacher's  time,  child's  opportunity  and  tax- 
payer's money,  or  set  a  bad  example  to  other  public 
agencies  by  claiming  immunity  for  mistakes  and  ex- 
emption from  criticism. 

"The  educational  influence  of  the  school,  like  that 
of  the  individual  whom  it  wishes  to  prepare  for  citizen- 
ship, is  to  be  measured  by  what  it  does  and  gets  done, 
rather  than  by  what  it  says  and  hopes." 


L  n  = 


Significant  Facts  Disclosed  by  the 
School  Survey 

Submitted  May,  1912 

i — Of  needs  outlined  in  this  survey,  the  superintendent  of  schools  has 
noted  and  emphasized  in  his  reports  the  need  for 
a — Adequate  playgrounds. 

b — Improved  sanitary  condition  of  school  toilets. 
c — More  individual  instructions  for  the  pupils  in  the  first  grade 

2 — The  lighting  of  the  Lincoln  school,  with  its  windows  arranged  in  sets 
without  intervening  brick  piers,  without  arched  windows  and 
without  transoms,  shows  that  the  board  has  set  for  new  schools  a 
high  standard  of  lighting/ 

3 — The  school  grounds  in  six  out  of  the  seven  schools  visited  are  so 
inadequate  that,  as  in  the  case  of  ihe  "preparatory"  school,  there 
is  little  or  no  room  for  organized  play. 

4 — Most  of  the  schools  visited  were  beautified  by  suitable  pictures  and 
pieces  of  statuary,  though  the  effect  in  some  cases  is  marred  by 
the  presence  of  dust  and  unsanitary  surroundings. 

5 — No  records  are  to  be  found  in  the  offices  of  the  superintendent  of 
schools  or  of  the  principals  from  which  can  be  gathered  informa- 
tion necessary  for  locating,  measuring  and  where  possible, 
correcting. 

a — Over-age  and  its  causes. 

b — Elimination  and  its  causes. 

c — Non-promotion  and  its  causes. 

d — Physical  defects. 

e — Mental  defects. 

-5 — Many  rooms  are  overcrowded,  some  of  the  worst  cases  being  in 
primary  grades  and  foreign  districts. 

a — Eight  senior  schools  have  more  than  44  pupils  per  teacher. 
b — One   senior  school  whose  patronage    is    almost   entirely 

foreign  has  43  pupils  per  teacher. 
c — One  junior  school  enrolling  many  foreign  children  has  50.7 

pupils  per  teacher. 
</— One  primary  school  enrolling  many  foreign  children  has 

43  pupils  per  teacher. 

e — If  the  average  number  of  pupils  per  teacher  is  so  large — so 
much  too  large — the  actual  figures  in  many  rooms 
within  each  school  must  be  much  larger  still. 

7 A  good  beginning  has  been  made  in  manual  training,  cooking  and 

sewing  and  in  technical,  commercial  and  pre-vocational  instruction. 

8 The  merest  glance  at  the  facts  of  non-attendance,  non-promotion  and 

dropping  out  shows  that  the  schools  should  have  more  than 
a — Only  five  unassigned  teachers. 
b — Only  one  open  air  class. 
c — Only  one  preparatory  school. 
..  ^—.Only  pne  or  two  ungraded  rooms. 


q — The  lighting  of  room  after  room  visited  was  found  to  have  one  or 
more  of  the  following  defects  : 

a — Shades  were  improperly  hung. 

b — Translucent  shades  were  not  provided  where  needed. 

c — There  was  an  inadequate   amount  of  window   space  in 

proportion  to  floor  area. 

d— There  were  wide  brick  piers  between  the  windows. 
e — The  windows  did  not  reach  nearly  to  the  ceiling. 
f — The  windows  were  arched  at  the  top. 
g — The  major  light  came  from  the  rear. 
h — All  the  light  came  from  the  rear. 
/ — Windows  were  placed  so  that  the  children  must  face  the 

light. 
j — Seats  have  not  been  changed,   where  easily  possible,  to 

avoid  light  from  the  rear. 

k — Rooms  are  so  deep  that  much  of  the  blackboard  space  was 
unavailable  and  many  children  had  to  work  in  part 
shadow. 

/ — Pillars  and  porticos  cut  off  much  light. 
10 — The  ventilation  represents  extremes  of  defects  and  excellencies. 

a — It  is  entirely  inadequate  in  some  buildings  ventilated  by 

gravity,  for  example,  the  "preparatory"  school. 
b — It  is  insufficient  in   some  buildings,   ventilated    by    the 
vacuum  system,  at  least  one  of  which,  the  Putnam,  has 
discontinued  the  use  of  the  fan. 

c — It  is  under  suspicion  in  some  rooms  of  buildings,  which 
like  the  Central  High  are  ventilated  by  plenum  system. 
d — Humidifying  devices  are  lacking. 
e — The  ventilation  is  apparently  lacking  in  such  schools  as 

the  William  McKinley  school. 

n — The  common  drinking  cup  is  still  in  use  on  one  floor  of  the  Central 
High  school,  and  above  the  basement  in  the  Putnam  school, 
although  in  both  of  these  buildings  sanitary  drinking  fountains 
are  installed. 

12 — In  the  Putnam  school  a  so-called  sanitary  drinking  fountain  is  located 
within  a  few  feet  of  foul  smelling  urinals  and  empties  into  the 
same  sink  as  the  waste  pipe  from  upstairs. 

13— The  toilet  rooms  of  several  schools  such  as  the  Putnam  and  the  "pre- 
paratory" are  not  properly  ventilated. 

14— In  the  Putnam  school  the  play  rooms  and  the  toilet  rooms  are  not  shut 
off  from  each  other. 

15 — Dry  sweeping  was  observed  in  the  buildings  where  the  open  air 
school  is  located. 

1 6 — The  minimum  salaries  of  $400.00  for  grade  teachers  and  minimum 
salaries  ot  $550.00  for  female  teachers  in  the  high  school  are  too  low . 
In  a  city  of  150,000  they  mean  certain  obstruction  to  efficiency. 

17— Financial  statements  are  made  in  such  a  way  that  it  is  not  possible  to 
compute  from  them  either  the  total  or  per  capita  costs  of  adminis- 
tration and  supervision. 

1 8 — Syracuse  has  the  germs  of  several  advanced  movements. 

a — Manufacturers  co-operate  in  providing  for  summer  work 

for  pupils  in  the  Technical  High. 
b — Improvement  associations  meet  in  school  rooms. 


Correction — 10  e  above  should  read: 

<?— The  ventilation  is  apparently  satisfactory  in  such  schools 
as  the  William  McKinley  school. 


c — Mothers'  clubs  are  interesting  themselves  in  certain  public 

schools. 
d—  The  public  library  provides  books  for  Regents  courses  to 

school  children. 
e — The  board  of  education  has  a  committee  on  the  wider  use 

of  school  buildings. 
/"—The  chamber  of  commerce  has  a  committee  on  school  law 

and  a  permanent  committee  on  education  which  has 

issued  two  large  reports. 
g — Various  private  associations  and  manufacturing  companies 

have  been  experimenting  in  industrial  education  since 

1884. 
h — The  dentists  of  Syracuse  have  done  valuable  volunteer 

work  in  dental  inspection. 

19 — Nowhere  near  100%  of  the  social  energy  of  the  community  has  been 
applied  to  the  solution  of  the  school  problem. 


Constructive  Suggestions  for  Correcting  the 

Defects  Noted  in  the  Preceding 

Significant  Facts 

i — That  continuous  record  cards  be  provided  at  once  for  superintendents 
and  principals  to  make  available  facts  as  to 
a — Over-age  and  its  causes. 
b — Elimination  and  its  causes. 
<r— Non-promotion  and  its  causes, 
a?— Physical  defects  and  their  treatment. 
e — Mental  defects  and  their  treatment. 

2 — That  teachers  and  principals  be  interested  in  securing  now,  in  time 
for  reporting,  facts  for  the  current  school  year,  which  are  called 
for  in  the  uniform  questions  promulgated  by  the  United  States 
Bureau  of  Education  as  recommended  by  the  National  Education 
Association. 

3 — That  facts  be  gathered  on  explaining  the  truancy,  irregular  attend- 
ance, dropping  out,  failures  of  promotion,  physical  defects,  etc., 
for  each  class  in  each  school,  in  time  to  use  such  facts  in  planning 
next  year's  school  budget  and  for  needed  changes  in  supervision, 
ventilation,  school  records,  etc. 

4 — That  financial  statements  be  so  recorded  as  to  give  the  classified 
facts  called  for  by  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Education  as  to  cost 
of  administration  and  supervision  by  pupil,  by  school,  by  subject. 

5 — That  steps  be  taken  now  to  secure  for  installations  on  the  first  day  of 
the  next  school  year  the  uniform  records — financial  and  education 
—advised  by  the  United  States  Bureau  and  the  N.  E.  A. 

6 — That  steps  be  taken  to  learn  the  success  of  recent  efforts  made  by  the 
board  of  education  in  Rochester  to  record  currently  information 
as  to  school  methods,  school  work  and  school  results  necessary  to 
intelligent  placing  and  supervision. 

7 — That  steps  be  taken  now  to  locate  overcrowding,  particularly  in  the 
primary  grades  and  foreign  districts,  to  learn  the  consequences 
and  to  prove  the  need  for  avoiding  such  overcrowding  next  year, 
and  for  making  good  the  pledge  of  the  chamber  of  commerce  to 
laborers  and  manufacturers  that  school  children  shall  be  given 
adequate  attention. 

8 — That  dry  sweeping  in  any  part  of  school  buildings,  particularly  in 
school  rooms  be  stopped  at  once. 

9 — That  interest  of  janitors  in  all  points  ot  hygiene  be  enlisted  and 
compelled  by  promulgating  uniform  detailed  regulations  and  by 
requiring  supervision  by  principals  under  the  rules. 

10 — That  the  common  drinking  cup  be  immediately  abolished  wherever  it 
has  survived,  and  that  sanitary  drinking  fountains  be  installed 
sufficient  in  number  and  properly  located. 

ii — That  toilet  arrangements  be  made  entirely  sanitary,  and  that  where 
necessary  repairs  or  re-constructions  be  made  during  vacation  no 
matter  what  the  necessary  expense. 

12 — That  ventilating  methods  and  conditions  be  immediately  investigated 
while  buildings  are  still  heated  to  show  where  repairs  and  re-con- 
structions may  be  necessary  for  next  year. 


a — That  an  anemometer  be  supplied  for  testing  the  air. 

b — That  plenum  fans  and  exhaust  fans  be  installed. 

c — That  humidifying  devices  be  employed,  such  as  evaporat- 
ing pans,  humidifying  plants  and  hygrometer  for 
currently  testing  the  air. 

d — That  in  all  projected  buildings  mistakes  should  be  avoided 
by  securing  the  last  word  on  school  ventilation. 

13 — That  the  lighting  needs  of  each  room  be  studied. 

a — That  in  rooms  lighted  from  one  side  and  from  the  rear  the 

seating  at  once  be  changed. 

b — That  shades  may  be  properly  hung  everywhere. 
c — That  translucent  shades  be  supplied  in  many  rooms  and 

supplemented  by  opaque  shades  attached  at  the  bottom 

of  the  window. 

d — That  extra  windows  may  be  added  in  many  places. 
c — That  transoms  may  be  abolished. 
/—That  in  some  cases  brick  piers  can  be  removed. 
g — That  in  all  projected  buildings  mistakes  should  be  avoided 

by  securing  the  last  word  on  school  lighting. 

14 — That  the  control  of  hygiene  and  sanitation  by  the  board  of  education 
be  made  more  effective. 

a — The  superintendent  of  schools  might  be  given  a  veto  on  all 
school  plans  and  the  right  to  suspend  temporarily  any 
janitor  for  neglect  of  duty. 

b — An  advisory  committee  of  school  principals  might  be 
established. 

I5 — That  the  advisability  be  considered  of  appointing  a  director  of  school 
hygiene  to  work  under  the  direction  of  the  building  and  hygiene 
committee  and  the  superintendent  of  schools  to 

a — Pass  upon   all   plans  for  new  buildings,    additions    and 

repairs. 

b — Supervise  the  work  of  janitors. 
c — Instruct  teachers  in  the  methods  of  teaching  the  elements 

of  hygiene  and  sanitation. 

d — Take  charge  and  utilize  physical  records  of  schoolchildren. 
e — Supervise  play  at  school,  athletics,  etc. 

16 — That  the  need  for  higher  minimum  and  maximum  salaries  of  teachers 
be  made  clear  to  taxpayers. 

a — By  facts  showing  whether  or  not  low  salaries  cause  a  high 

rate  ot  withdrawals  from  the  schools. 
b — Whether  or  not  the  rates  paid  in  Syracuse  are  lower  than 

those  of  competing  school  systems. 

c — How  far,  if  at  all,  desirable  teachers,  whose  homes  are  in 
Syracuse,  consider  the  privilege  of  living  at  home  an 
offset  to  possible  increases  of  salary  elsewhere. 

17 — That  a  minimum  standard  for  space  and  school  grounds  be  adopted, 
and  a  minimum  standard  for  all  new  sites  and  that  additional 
ground  be  bought  either  immediately  surrounding  or  near  some  of 
the  existing  buildings. 

18 — That  in  elementary  schools  having  abjustable  furniture,  it  be  adjusted' 
and  the  non-adjustable  furniture  be  re-arranged  so  as  to  mee* 
individual  needs. 


i9 — That  additional  provision  be  made  at  once  for  the  unusual,  atypical, 
backward  and  anaemic  children,  by 
a — More  ungraded  classes. 
b — More  preparatory  schools. 
c — More  open  air  classes. 
^/—Special  instruction  now  to  prevent  the  failure  of  children 

in  June  and  unnecessary  repetition  of  a  term's  work. 
e — Special  efforts  to  enlist  parents'  help  for  children  in  danger 

of  failing  at  the  end  of  this  term. 

/—Catch-up  classes  for  backward  classes  and  go-ahead  classes 
for  exceptionally  bright  pupils  arranged  for  summer 
vacation  schools. 

ao — That  facts  be  gathered  now  to  determine  just  where,  just  how  much 
and  in  just  what  way  forward  steps  should  be  taken  next  year  in 
industrial  and  pre-vocational  training. 

a — That  definite  arrangements  be  made  for  instituting  next 
autumn  the  proposed  part-time  industrial  education  in 
co-operation  with  local  manufacturers. 

b — That  pre-vocational  courses  be  established  in  the  grades. 
c — That    continuation    courses    be    established  for    working 

children. 
d—  That  further  vocational  courses  be  offered  in  the  Technical 

High  school. 

e — That  industrial  courses  be  offered  in  the  summer  schools 

and  additional  industrial  courses  in  the  evening  schools. 

3i — That  steps  be  taken  now  to  command  approximately   100%  of  the 

community's  outside  civic  interest  in  solving  Syracuse  educational 

problems  as  follows : 

a — A  conference  of  present  and  possible  co-operating  agencies 

should  be  called  now  to  outline    plans    for    effective 

co-operation    among    outside    agencies   and    between 

outside  agencies  and  the  board  of  education  next  year. 

b — Parent  teacher  clubs  could  be  successfully  maintained  in 

connection  with  every  school  having  more  than   four 

rooms. 

c — The  use  of  school  buildings  for  social  purposes  should  be 

extended. 

d — A  continuing  central  agency  whether  independent  or  part 
of  some  existing  agency  like  the  Associated  Charities  or 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  would  unquestionably  be  wel- 
comed alike  by  school  authorities  and  the  general  public. 
22 — That  purposive  publicity  be  inaugurated: 

a — To  acquaint  taxpayers  with  school  needs. 
b — To  insure  public  interest  in  the  regular  work  of  the  schools 
and  in  the  needs  of  children,  normal  and  sub-normal, 
native  and  foreign 

c — To  substitute  active  support  for  passive  support  of  the 
board  of  education  in  its  effort  to  increase  the  schools' 
efficiency. 


The  school  officials  are  not  blind  fo  the  needs  outlined  in  the 
foregoing  pages  and  are  trying  to  meet  them.  The  following 
things  have  been  done  since  the  report  was  submitted  in  May. 

i — A  continuous  record  system  similar  to  the  one  recom- 
mended under  article  i  of  the  Constructive  Suggestions 
has  been  installed. 

2 — Investigation  is  being  made  of  the  "over-age"  problem. 
3 — Overcrowding  has  been  eliminated  to  a   fair  degree  by 
transferring  children  from  the  overcrowded  to  the  less 
congested  schools. 

4 — Dry  sweeping  has  been  abolished. 
5 — Play  grounds  for  some  schools  have  been  improved. 
The  following  work  is  being  planned: 

i — The  development  of  a  definite  system  for  school  building. 
This  includes  among  other  things 

a — The  replacement  of  out-of-date  structures  with 

modern  buildings. 

b — The  proper  placing  of  new  school  buildings. 
c — The  development  of  industrial  centers. 
d — The  constant  betterment  of  school  architecture 
from  standpoint  of  light,  ventilation,  sanita- 
tion, etc. 
2 — The  betterment  of  sanitary  conditions  of  present  structures 

as  fast  as  funds  will  permit. 

3 — To  establish  truant  classes,  to  supplant  the  present  inef- 
fective and  expensive  truant  school. 

4 — To  provide  classes  for  backward  children  and  increase  the 
number  of  open-air  schools. 


Gaylord  Bros. 

Makers 
Syracuse,  N.  Y 


1908 


6324 


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